Trump's attack on Harvard's foreign students targets key revenue for US universities

THE Trump administration’s latest blow against Harvard University – cutting off its ability to enroll foreign students – rippled throughout higher education Thursday, because it aims at a major source of revenue for hundreds of schools across the United States.

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Foreign students fund universities by often paying full tuition, which helps subsidise other students and stabilise finances.
Harvard faces blocked foreign enrollment and research funding cuts, with other universities warned to follow rules.
The move adds pressure on schools already hit by reduced federal research funding.

Because international students are more likely to pay full tuition, they essentially subsidize other students who receive aid, said educational consultant Chuck Ambrose, former president of the University of Central Missouri.

The administration’s move to stop foreign enrollment is a huge blow to Harvard and sends a message to other universities: "You could be next,” said Robert Kelchen, a professor at the University of Tennessee who researches university finances.

Kristi Noem, Trump’s homeland security adviser, said as much Thursday during an appearance on "The Story with Martha MacCallum" on Fox News. Noem was asked if the administration was considering similar moves at other universities, including Columbia University in New York. "Absolutely, we are," she responded. "This should be a warning to every other university to get your act together."

Harvard’s 6,800 international students make up 27% of its total enrollment. In 2023, foreign students made up an even higher share at 43 other schools with at least 1,000 students, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

At Columbia University, which the Trump administration accuses of antisemitic policies, foreign students made up 39% of total enrollment in 2023, the NCES data shows. At 246 other schools with an enrollment of at least 1,000, at least 10% of students were from outside the U.S.

Thursday’s announcement comes as universities are already scrambling to make up for huge federal cuts in research funding. Harvard, which the Trump administration says has failed to address antisemitism and ethnic harassment on campus, has seen nearly $3 billion in federal contracts and research grants frozen or ended in recent weeks. Neither Harvard nor Columbia had comment on the financial impact of Thursday’s move.

“It's just another financial hit on top of several hits that have already come for big research universities,” Kelchen said. “At this point the only thing that hasn't been touched is student financial aid.”